Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatuses and coating methods to reduce HDP-CVD chamber arcing.
Description of the Related Art
High-Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (HDP-CVD) employs an inductively coupled plasma source for generation of higher density plasma at low vacuum pressures. The higher density plasma results in superior gap fill performance, high quality film deposition at lower temperatures, high throughput and easy serviceability. The reactor design and process technology of HDP-CVD enables deposition of both undoped and doped films for a wide range of applications, including shallow trench isolation (STI), pre-metal dielectric layers (PMD), interlevel dielectric (ILD) layers, intermetal dielectric (IMD) layers, and passivation. Therefore, HDP-CVD is widely used in the semiconductor industry.
Due to the low process pressure, one of the key issues reported in HDP-CVD chambers is chamber arcing. Arcing occurs when high concentrated E-field at a sharp point causes dielectric break down at the metallic chamber wall, gas ring and cathode body. The high discharge current, which takes place over a small area, vaporizes exposed metal and contaminates substrate surfaces, resulting in decreased process yield.
Various techniques have been suggested to reduce chamber arcing. For example, an external coating method may be used on a new chamber, pre-installation. However, the coating must be reapplied when the pre-installation coating cracks during transportation, installation, or maintenance, or once the coating layer becomes too thin. A seasoning layer may be deposited on metallic chamber surfaces during seasoning operations, after chamber cleaning, to alleviate the arcing. However, conventional seasoning layers provide insufficient coverage on chamber components, and thus, chamber arcing issues still exist.
Therefore, there is a need for improved apparatuses and coating methods to reduce HDP-CVD chamber arcing.